Microorganisms can produce chemical compounds that range from solvents to lipids and other compounds that have industrial use. Such a compound may, however, itself have toxic effects on the microorganism that produces the compound. Furthermore, the microorganism may be able to produce only a relatively small amount of the chemical compound, thus limiting the commercial use of the microorganism as a biological source of the chemical compound.
This invention addresses the need for strategies to improve the ability of microorganisms to produce commercially important chemical compounds that may otherwise be toxic to the organism.